To ride serenely on a bike, the helmet has been adopted by many velotaffeuses and velottafeurs. Nevertheless, when the days get shorter, it is interesting to discover this accessory with LEDs to be more visible, day and night.
Operation of a bicycle helmet with turn signal
This is a bicycle helmet with a classic appearance and protects your head in case of an accident.
A new generation incorporates LED type lights. They improve your visibility at the front (white light) combined with orange lights at the rear.
On the most advanced models, the back of the helmet allows you to indicate to other users that you are changing direction. This protects your head from shocks (passive safety) and makes you more visible at night (active safety). Wearing a helmet is not mandatory if you are over 12 years old, although more and more of us are wearing them.
A wireless box, positioned on the handlebars of the bike, allows you to give the information to the helmet when you go left or right. Attention, even team of this type of helmet, it is always necessary to stretch the arm when changing roads.
Of course, these helmets with turn signals can be used for other practices such as scooters or Segways.
3 good reasons to choose a bike helmet with turn signals
Security
The n°1 objective of this protection is to gain visibility, especially so that cars see you better. Having head-level lights is ideal for motorists who do not always see the headlights of our bikes. These light signals, coupled with our head movements, are therefore easily in the field of vision of drivers.
Comfort
Better visibility necessarily means more comfort when you travel by bike. I admit that I was always apprehensive when I had to turn to reach the bike room just in front of my house: I find myself in the middle of the road to turn left, my arm outstretched in this direction. With a flashing helmet, I warn motorists earlier, for more tranquility during this delicate passage.
Connectivity
The most advanced models are Bluetooth compatible and can be used with a dedicated smartphone app. In addition, on a model like the LUMOS, if you have an Apple Watch, it will detect the position of your arm, which will automatically trigger the turn signals: you do not even need to use the controls on the handlebars.
Charging is provided via USB.
The application of some helmets can also record your daily journeys (mileage, time, speed, etc.): ideal for studying the fastest routes to work by bike.
Note that these features play on the total weight of the helmet: the weight of the lighting system and the battery will weigh about a hundred grams. We will rather find these helmets among everyday users rather than lovers of chronos on Sunday morning.
How to choose your helmet with turn signal?
To choose your flashing headset, take the time to compare the following 14 elements:
- Number of LEDs: more LEDs means more visibility.
- Light signal color: white and red/orange are found, but the most advanced models offer an unlimited choice of color and customization
- Possibility of warning during braking
- Automatic emergency braking indication
- Fall detection and alert message: It can detect falls over 1.5 meters and triggers an SOS alert SMS message to your emergency contact within 90 seconds of a fall, giving them your precise GPS location.
- Weight: be careful not to exceed 200 g ideally, after that it starts to pull on the neck
- Charging mode: prefer USB (avoid batteries) and you can charge it when you are at work
- Loading time
- Battery life and capacity
- Connectivity for geeks: dedicated app, automatic trip recording
- Price
- Safety: material, reflective tape
- Practicality of use: simple or magnetic closing system
- Comfort of use: number of ventilations, quality of foams inside the helmet, quality of the helmet closure system (magnetic systems are easier to use)
Illuminated bike helmet or with integrated turn signals: what's the difference?
A luminous bicycle helmet is a helmet equipped with lights to warn motorists of your presence at night. But they do not prevent your changes of direction.
Example of a bicycle helmet with lights but without the turn signal function
In the 1st case, the goal is simply to be more visible while in the second, orange LEDs play exactly the same role as intermittent orange lights in a car.
In this case, it is imperative to have the wireless box to ensure the transfer of information between the helmet and the cyclist.
Decathlon flashing bike helmet
The famous French distributor has not designed, at the time of writing this article (April 2022) a helmet model with integrated lights.
Nevertheless, some of them have a specific location to integrate a small LED on the back of the helmet.
It is also possible to buy a Cosmo Ride, which provides directional turn signal functions as well as an automatic alert function. The Cosmo Ride can be installed directly on a bowl helmet.
Cosmo Fusion Premium connected bike helmet
Looking for a helmet that combines:
- Neat design
- Optimal visibility
- Notify other road users of your lane changes
- Face protection
The Cosmo Fusion meets all your expectations thanks to a precise analysis of bikers but also scooter users.
The remote control positioned on your handlebars warns other cyclists when you change direction.
Conclusion
These new flashing helmets are a plus for your safety. The most advanced ones that offer the possibility of indicating a change of direction are very interesting. Nevertheless, two things must be borne in mind.
The first is that owning this type of helmet does not exempt you from respecting the rest of the regulations to circulate at night by bike (headlight in particular as well as a high-visibility vest outside urban areas).
The second seems more important for other users: be careful not to turn into a flashing Christmas tree, it can be painful or dazzling for other cyclists.
